It is desirable to maintain electrical contact between electrical conductors of one or more circuits carried by a rotatable steering wheel and electrical conductors of the circuits which do not move with the steering wheel.
For example, a triggering signal for deployment of an air bag contained in a steering wheel is typically delivered electrically from an air bag control circuit to an air bag triggering circuit included in the steering wheel with the air bag. In this low power application, one is not concerned with delivering relatively high currents to the steering wheel.
In one common approach, a so-called clock spring mechanism is used to make these electrical contacts. In a clock spring mechanism, a ribbon containing plural electrical conductors is wound into a roll or coil within a housing. The housing has one housing component coupled to the steering wheel and another housing component mounted to the steering column with the two housing components being rotatable relative to one another. The ribbon conductor within the housing makes the connection between one or more electrical circuits carried in part by the steering column and corresponding electrical circuits carried by the steering wheel. The coiled connecting ribbon unwinds and becomes looser as the steering wheel is rotated in one direction. The coil in contrast winds tighter as the steering wheel is rotated in the opposite direction. The housing sections define a central opening through which a portion of the steering column extends with the coil winding and unwinding about the housing portions which define the steering column receiving opening. The housing sections snapfit together adjacent the central opening. A connection made by a coil conductor ribbon which is wound and unwound is thus one suitable approach in a number of applications. However, a need exists for an improved apparatus for these purposes.